National Heart Attack Alert Program
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Coordinating Committee Meeting

June 23–24, 2003
Bethesda, Maryland

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ms. Mary Hand welcomed the participants and introduced new Coordinating Committee representatives.
• Dr. James Atkins reported on the Executive Committee meeting held earlier in the morning, and subcommittee chairs provided reports for their meetings that took place yesterday.
• Drs. Daniel Stryer, Marcel Salive, and Martha Radford addressed the need to implement research-based guidelines to improve quality of care and outcomes for AMI patients. They described the status of the field, challenges to implementing quality care, and opportunities for improvement using multicomponent interventions targeting providers and systems. A panel discussion focused on related issues.
• Dr. Robert Zalenski and Mr. Harry Teter reviewed the issue of caring for survivors of patients who suffer sudden death from cardiovascular disease. The American Trauma Society’s “Second Trauma” program was described.
• Dr. Joseph Ornato provided an update for time-to-treatment recommendations and reperfusion algorithms in the revised ACC/AHA Guidelines for the Management of Patients with ST-Elevation MI.
• Dr. Jeanette Guyton-Krishnan provided an update on the U.S. Public Health Service’s Healthy People 2010 objectives for the Nation that are related to heart attack, and she reviewed the status of the four NHAAP-specific objectives.
• Ms. Hand provided a progress report on the NHLBI’s “Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs” campaign. Dr. Christine Crumlish asked members to share their organizations’ activities for implementing the campaign.